About Me / Q&A

What got you into cosplay?
Halloween. Plus all the fabulous details that most American clothing seems to lack. I first got into cosplaying before I even knew there was a word for it when I was 14; I REALLY wanted to make a Kikyo costume for Halloween. My mom did it for me and she said the full-length sleeves would be a waste of fabric, so it looks less like a kimono than I wanted, but I still like it.
Not to mention the entire franchise of Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts.
Add to that my occasional flights of fancy where I pretend I'm important, and you've got me as a cosplayer.
But the truth is, I get bored with normal clothes. Anime and manga have a lot of colorful, interesting costumes that generally can't be mass-produced, so I feel special whenever I cosplay.What was your first costume and why?
My first costume was technically Kikyo from Inuyasha, but the first costume I actually put effort into myself was Summoner Yuna. I love the way her outfit is so simple in terms of sewing (less work for my mom, since I can't sew for crap), yet the designs are so intricate and flowing.
Also, I like the idea of challenging myself artistically. Yuna has so many tiny little things that all fit together into her outfit.
At first I tried desperately to get everything perfect, to the point where I was halfway done with the skirt and then wanted to do the whole thing over because I'd scaled the pattern wrong. However, my sister and mom talked me out of it, thus saving me a good deal of stress.
I fixed a lot of things by Fanime 2008, so it looks WAY better--but due to my unfortunate habit of procrastinating, I still didn't manage to dye the sleeves in time. :(What is your favorite costume and why?
Summoner Yuna.
Even though it's horrible to walk in a skintight obi, boots, a skirt with such a high slit that it completely fails to keep me warm, and a strip of white cloth for a shirt, it's gotten me so many compliments and I've worked so hard on it that I find it hard not to be proud of myself.Do you have a dream costume you'd like to make?
I've made my "dream" costume already; Summoner Yuna.
However, I plan on cosplaying Cheza from Wolf's Rain in a few years.What has been your most memorable cosplay experience?
Fanime 2008: I decided to take a picture with the Yazoo, Kadaj, and Loz from Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. I took a picture with their plushy Kaa-san box, which made people chuckle. Then I ran, and they all started chasing after me. It was fun losing them in the crowd and hearing them yell, "YUNA! GIVE MOTHER BACK!!"
Fanime 2007: I was dancing the sending in front of the fountain, and I heard someone say, "Look, it's Yuna!" His friend asked where, and he just started spazzing out-- "She's RIGHT THERE! She's doing the sending!"Do you participate in masquerades?
No, but I would like to sometime. I've got a skit idea where the characters of Final Fantasy X sing "La Vie Boheme B" from RENT. I basically just want an excuse for me and a group of people to dance and sing on a table (or any raised-platform equivalent).Have you won any awards for your costumes?
No.Tell us a little about yourself
As of 2008, I'm a high school graduate with an interest in theater, writing, and art. I want a job so I can save up tuition money for the Academy of Art in San Francisco.My favorite anime
Fullmetal Alchemist (anime and manga), Trigun (anime), Angel Sanctuary (manga), Chobits (manga), and a lot of out-of-the-way mangas like Yellow, La Esperanša, and Mermaid Saga.My favorite game(s)
FIRE EMBLEM. A little bit of Final Fantasy, Zelda, and the Lord of the Rings games.My favorite book(s)
Alice in Wonderland, the Redwall series, Lord of the Rings, and countless others.My favorite movies(s)
RENT, Sweeney Todd, Garden State, Pirates of the Caribbean, Final Fantasy: Advent Children, most Miyazaki movies, and Treasure Planet.My favorite actors/actresses
Nicole Kidman, Johnny Depp, Ron Perlman, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Billie Piper, John Barrowman, and Ewan McGregor.